Then JakeTwist, I guess my next question would be, do the dates in the actual movie make sense? For instance, it's hard to imagine Ennis carrying on a five-year relationship with Cassie, never mentioning it to Jack until it just happens to come up in conversation after five years of silence, yet then telling him about it very nonchallantly, as if it were no big secret or anything. On the other hand, Alma Jr. does seem to age a few years between their date and the last scene.
(Without reading the extremely long thread, I am perfectly willing to accept your conclusion that the screenplay dates are wrong -- I agree totally. If you remember or can excerpt any particularly interesting points, feel free to post!)
Well shame on me for taking four days to answer back to you!!! This remained an unread e-mail in my e-mail for all this time.... well never mind that.... Everything you write above is dead right, I agree 1000% that it is hard to imagine that Ennis mentions Cassie for the first time the night before the big fight scene by the lake which is in the spring of 1983.... but that apparently is the case.
Do the dates in the actual movie make sense? well....
Is it 1978 when Cassie hits on Ennis? -- yes, bcz the scene immediately following is the Childress 1978 Charity ball or whatever-you-call-it. Unless the film plays out in non-chronological order, and I don't think that is the case, that does not make sense.
Is it spring 1983 when Ennis tells Jack about Cassie? yes, it is the night before the fight scene, unless AL strung together two completely different camping trips, and that does not make sense.... Yes it is 1983 bcz Jack dies at age 39 according to Lureen...
Ergo 5 years. Now I am no Columbo, but I cannot see a hole in that sequence of conclusions, I cannot find a way to disprove the five years. so apparently Ennis
was that cavalier about Cassie, did not deem her worth mentioning to Jack in all that time. I really wonder what they spoke about / did all those days they spent together on their fishing trips, that Cassie's name did not come up.... Usually what friends talk about is what is going on in their lives.... Ennis did not have a hell of a lot of other stuff going on in his life to talk about.... Only seeing his girls once a month (or was it getting the girls?) - when they lived in the same town FGS!!
ok, I think I know what they did most of the time
but I have always thought that their relationship was very
very insular and not based in reality, although IMO it would have stood the test and survived if only Ennis would taken the chance.... Yes the aging of Alma jr fits with the 5 years timeline, she looks about 15 when she goes out with Cassie and Ennis...
So even though it does not make sense to me (and maybe not to you either) that Ennis dated Cassie for five years before mentionning it to Jack, that indeed is the case - in the movie.
J
PS try this, and I'll say it just one time.... the fact that Jack puts the question "In all this time you ain't found anyone else to marry?" to Ennis I find a bit strange as well... Jack wants to be in Ennis' life 100%. So why is he entertaining the question that Ennis marry a woman again and make himself unavailable to Jack? hmmmm, I never liked that Jack asked that question / brought it up in the first place. OK I can hear the answer already, Jack was
really asking 'cause he wants to make sure Ennis is not getting involved with someone else.... yeah, but still, saying that to Ennis is like opening the door, shouldn't he be saying something like "I sure hope you ain't planning to make the same mistake twice by gettin' married, 'cause I still hold out hope that we can get together and have that sweet life one a these days."
oh, it's so sad... Damn you Ennis!